


A Rogue's Life for Me

by euromagpie



Category: The Flash (Comics)
Genre: F/M, Flash Rogues, M/M, Pirate AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-07-24
Updated: 2013-07-24
Packaged: 2017-12-21 06:38:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,225
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/897020
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/euromagpie/pseuds/euromagpie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A not-so-subtle Pirates of the Caribbean rip-off starring the Rogues. And Blacksmith. And the Flash. You get the picture.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Arrival

Cool sea air swept across the deck of the _Rogue_ , one of the most infamous pirating vessels this side of Central City. Currently aboard it was a gangly blond boy, languidly washing the deck. His name was Axel, a young thief who had taken the chance of escaping the confines of his village the previous day when the ship had stopped there for the night. Ears picking up a quite conversation, he stopped sweeping for a moment and instead glanced at the group of pirates gathered at the wheel, one of whom was taking the occasional gulp from a large bottle of wine clenched in one fist.

The pirate in question was none other than Leonard Snart, known amongst outlaws as Captain Cold, possessing the power to make a man freeze in his tracks with just a glare. Assembled around him were his crew; first mate Mick Rory, who, they say, burnt down his last ship and the entire crew, but with Snart keeping him in check, soon became one of the most infamous men to sail the area. Axel recognised the man who stood beside him; Mark Mardon was his name, a famous astronomer who was kicked off his last assignment for stealing from his betters. With hair seeming to defy gravity and eyes that flashed like lightning, he cut an imposing figure. He shared his navigation duties with Roscoe Dillon, a governor’s son who abandoned his family to sail with the Captain’s sister.

That morning Axel had seen the gunner, Evan McCollough, dirty sleeves pushed up his forearms, hiding his opium pipe when a crewmen came below decks. A man, speaking quietly but firmly, he didn’t recognise, but could guess at. He was the only member of the crew sporting a headband, green, with a golden ‘A’ embroidered on the front. The man was Albert Desmond. Apparently he’d been a doctor of some kind on shore. From the red stains on his checked shirt it was a good bet he served as the ship surgeon.

No matter how much he strained his ears, he couldn’t catch a hint of the conversation going on. Instead he saw Snart’s lips twist into a grimace, before turning to look right at him. Axel quickly busied himself with his mop again. Before the captain could shout at him again to pull his weight, they weren’t running a goddamn cruise ship, a man staggered from below deck, wearing the most eye clashing garments Axel had ever seen. On his head was perched a precariously tilted tricorn. Waving a bandages hand about he declared in a loud, obviously drunk voice “I NEED HASSISSDA- HASSIDA- HASSISTANCE!”

A snort came from the other side of the deck. Digger had somehow managed to wheedle his way out on deck, instead of staying in the hold, polishing cannonballs, as Evan kept threatening.

“Get Rathaway to give you a _hand_.” Chuckles and snorts resounded around the ship. Pouting, the man clutched his hand to his chest protectively. Al shook his head in exasperation and made his way down the steps from the quarter deck just in time to catch him as the drunken man tripped.

“Come on James, let’s get you back to your bunk.” He shrugged at the Captain apologetically, “I had to give him an entire bottle of port to dull the pain. Who knew he was so resistant to alcohol?” Before ushering James away again, presumably to make sure he got the bed rest every doctor on earth seemed to prescribe.

With a sigh, Axel returned to mopping the deck as the crew continued as normal about their business.

———-

Later, as he, Mark, Evan and Mick were playing cards; he asked who the man had been. Evan laughed.

“’S Jesse. ‘Though course no guarantee that’s ‘is real name. ‘S a trickster through ‘n’ through.” The boy played laid down a card.

“What happened to his hand?”

“’E an’ Rathaway were arrested on shore. Th’ guy broke Jesse’s hand t’ get it through th’ cuffs. Saved ‘is life, but ‘e’s still moanin’ ‘bout it.” He sniggered. Axel’s brow furrowed.

“What’s so funny about it?” Evan looked about as though checking for listeners before leaning in close.

“Rathaway ‘e ain’t like us. ‘e’s a bi’ queer, y’know.” He sniggered again, “An’ everyone knows he’s taken a shine t’ Jesse. O’ course Jesse ain’ happy ‘bout ‘it, ‘specially not now he owes ‘im his life.”

“How comes I haven’t seen this Rathaway guy? He hasn’t been on deck.” Mark cut in, playing his hand.

“Al’s been treating him. They both came back with bullet holes; James had one, Hartley the other two. He won’t let him up on deck yet.” Now it was Axel’s turn to snort.

“ _Hartley?_ What kind of a name is that?”

Evan shrugged. “Queer kinda name for a queen bloke. Good match really.”

Mick made a displeased noise at the delay in the game, and the men resumed their round, before he got bored and started messing with the lamp.

Again.

———-

Axel’s resentment towards this man grew as when he was assigned Hartley’s chores a day later, considering the man was too wounded to work. Sail’s billowed as he let the ropes slide through his hands, Dillon and Scudder working to pull in and secure the sail. He folded his arms and perched himself on a barrel, taking a rest. Owen Mercer, another ship’s boy, joined him, groaning as he wiped gun powder and grease across his forehead in one swipe. He’d been roped in to help Evan clean and prep the canons that morning, and had only just finished. Owen handed him a metal cup of rum.

“I thought it was your job to clean the decks?” Axel took a swig from his cup, the alcohol burning his throat on the way down.

“Rathaway decided to get _shot_ and hoist his duties on poor, undeserving folk.” He answered snidely, “You know, I’m surprised he’s even allowed _on_ the ship.”

“Oh?” Said Owen, drinking from his own cup.

“Yeah, y’know, with the _way he is_. I mean, we’re out at sea, all of us men, asides from the Lady Snart, of course, and he’s going to be sleeping in the same room as us. I’ll bet he gets off on it, the bastard.”

By now Scudder and Dillon had descended to the deck again, and they and Digger were discretely listening to the conversation. They had all more or less said the same thing at one point or another, but there was always-

“I wouldn’t worry,” came an unannounced voice from behind the two. Axel spluttered as a bit of rum went down the wrong way and turned to look at the newcomer, wiping his mouth on his tartan sleeve. Behind them stood a pale skinned man with long red hair gathered at the nape of his neck with a green ribbon. Bandages showed through the gap of his open shirt. He made his way past them and threw over his shoulder. “Little boys aren’t my thing.”

His face burning red, Axel fumed as he watched Rathaway disappear below deck again, to the chorus of the crew’s laughter.


	2. Exploration

Three months had passed since Axel had come aboard the _Rogue_. They’d laid into ten-odd villages, raiding, robbing, but not, as he had noticed, killing or raping. Cold had taken him aside before the first attack and laid down the rules for him; they were pirates, not monsters. No unnecessary killing, and _never_ women or children. If he couldn’t stick to these rules Len would personally dispose of him. Axel found he could deal.

This day was warm and humid, the crew languid and lazy in the soft sunlight that spewed across the deck. The ship sailed easy, Mark being the only one who needed to watch the rudder and wheel.

Axel sought out his friend and, upon finding him, plopped down next to him on the deck, nestled comfortably in a large coil of oiled rope. He pulled his knees up to his chest and leaned his arms on them, elbows brushing Owen’s.

“So what’s the gossip?” The redhead looked at him quizzically. Axel shrugged.

“Y’know, rumours, backgrounds; I’ve been on this ship three months and everybody’s been tight lipped as clams.”

“Yeah, well, a lot of us don’t like to talk about out past. It’s not always pleasant…”

Axel nudged him. “Like?” Soft winds tickled his face in the silence as the other boy thought for a moment.

“Well…you know Mardon? He wasn’t discharged from his previous ship. He gets spectacularly drunk sometimes, an’ spills _everything_. So, apparently he had a brother. The way he told it he was always better than Mark at everything; academic studies, physicals, tactics, everything. But Claudio, that was his name, didn’t see it that way. He worshipped Mark as only a younger brother could. Mark thought if he enrolled in the navy he could get away from the shadow of his sibling; if he got a command his parents might even be proud of him.

But Claudio wanted to follow his example. In only a couple of years he was already captain of his own ship and crew. To make matters worse, Mark was assigned the same ship as his brother; he had to work _under_ Claudio. So one day, after a battle had resulted in great losses, one of which being Mark’s best friend, he got…mad. He blamed Claudio’s inability to command for his friend’s death. They got into an argument and he…attacked him; ended up beating him so badly he died of blood loss. Apparently, judging from all the crying he was doing while telling the story, he regretted it, or didn’t mean to, whatever. Of course, he’d have been hanged for murdering a superior officer, so he ran away. Drank himself into a stupor every night until the captain picked him up for his crew.”

Silence washed over them for a moment. Axel chewed his lips.

“That’s it?”

“Give me a sec, I’m trying to think of something else…oh, right, Hartley. According to James his parents are loaded; he has a little sister too that he won’t shut up about if you get a few drinks in him. But he told him he didn’t like his parents philosophy regarding those of ‘lower monetary income and poorer upbringing’, also known as us peasants. So he ran away. He tried to get onto other ships that docked in the harbour, but none wanted to accept him for even a crewman because of his ‘preference’.” Axel frowned. He’d thought like that at first, but he realised it’d been stupid to be scared of _Rathaway_ of all people. “Hartley snuck on board the _Rogue_. James told me he’d given up on even asking by now. Oh, yeah, James was the one who first found him. I don’t know why, but he decided to keep his presence secret and snuck him food and everything for a while. I think that’s why he’s so attached to James to be honest.

Anyway, it couldn’t last long. Mark realised they were going through food faster than they should have been, eventually. They searched the ship and found Hartley. He spilled everything. I wasn’t here at this point but James said he looked like he expected to be shot where he stood. Instead, the captain just said, and I quote ‘Fuck all that. As long as you can count without your fingers we have a job for you.’ So that’s how _he_ got on board.

The only other thing I can think of is that everyone knows James Jesse isn’t who he says he is. Evan says he’s got an accent, Italian or something, but I can’t hear anything.”

“What about you?” Owen turned to him and quirked a quizzical brow. “Me?”

“Yeah,” The blond waved a vague hand at him then around the ship, “How did _you_ get here?”

“…can you keep a secret?” He asked cautiously. Axel nodded fervently. The redhead leaned closer and whispered. “I’m looking for my father.” His friend’s eyes widened. “My mother said he was a pirate. I figured if I got on a pirate vessel my chances of meeting him improve greatly. You?”

“’Me’, what?” The boy asked.

“What’s your story?” Axel laughed. “I’m nothing special. Mum didn’t like me and Dad spent all our money on his ‘secret’ whores. We ended up almost starving several times. I took it upon myself to stay fed; I stole. ‘Course, considering that my village wasn’t exactly a big one it was only a matter of time before they realised who was taking their stuff. Mum threw me out of the house and everyone hated me. I thought I was going to be lynched by the end of the week. But then the _Rogue_ docked. I took my chance to get away.”

“Hmmm.”

For a minute or so the only sound that could be heard was the gentle splashing of water split beneath the keel and the creaking of straining ropes. Clouds scuttled gently across the azure sky as the _Rogue_ made its leisurely way across the silvery expanse.

Owen suddenly laughed. “We’re all a little screwed, ain’t we?”

Axel chuckled. “That we are. But it’s not so bad is it?”

His friend leaned against the railing. “No. I reckon it ain’t.”


End file.
